Friday, January 15, 2010

52 Weeks to Better Genealogy - Challenge 2

Go to your local public library branch again. Examine the local history, archives and/or special collections section. Ask a librarian if you don’t know if your library has special collections or where they are located. Be sure to check the reference section, too, as many of the newer and more valuable books are held in that area. If you have a genealogy blog, write about what you find in your library’s local history and special collections

As I mentioned in Challenge 1, my local library is part of the Mid-Continent Library system. The genealogy and local history sections of the library have a lot to offer patrons. For this challenge I chose to focus on the reference section in order to make my post more manageable. On the online catalog, if I search for the subject "genealogy", in my local branch only, I get 268 titles! If I narrow my search by the reference section 29 titles are returned.

Included in those 29 titles are:

History of Platte County Missouri, published in 2006 by the Platte County Historical Society.

The Truman Neighborhood: from elegant mansions to the neck, Independence, Missouri, published by McCoy Neighborhood Council in 2004

Indians of Missouri Past and Present, published by Somerset Publishers in 1999

A Slice of the Times: Kansas City 1875-1880 by Douglas B. Finch

History of Jackson County Missouri by W.Z. Hickman

A History of Pioneer Families of Missouri by William Bryan Smith

An Illustrated Historical Atlas Map of Jackson County, Missouri compiled by the Jackson County Missouri Historical Society

Once again, after reviewing just the reference materials, I am very impressed by what my local branch library has to offer.

Content

This blog reflects the personal views of the author. Any comments posted by visitors to this site are strictly the views of the visitor. The author reserves the right to edit and/or remove comments deemed offensive or inappropriate.

Every attempt will be made to provide factual information with as much accuracy as possible. Readers should not take the information provided as factual.

Every attempt will be made to provide credit to sources. If you feel proper credit has not been given please contact the author.